


Ground Rules

by honestgrins



Series: Waiting [3]
Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-27
Updated: 2015-07-27
Packaged: 2018-04-11 13:59:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4438154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honestgrins/pseuds/honestgrins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stefan and Caroline are still trying to figure out this whole "not together" thing, so it's a good thing Caroline likes lists.</p>
<p>Part of "Waiting," a series of Steroline/Belvafore drabbles between TVD Seasons 6 and 7.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ground Rules

Caroline sprinted to the Lockwood mansion, finally throwing open the door and listening for any sound of movement. "Stefan?!"

"I'm up here," he coughed from upstairs.

Following his ragged breathing to one of the guest rooms, Caroline found a bleeding Stefan leaning over the toilet in the ensuite bathroom. "What happened," she asked breathlessly, wincing when he coughed up blood. "Matt just said something about you being hurt and staying with him for a while."

"Lily decided the boarding house would be perfect for her family," Stefan groaned. "She didn't take too kindly to my saying 'no.' One of her heretics did something that feels like my insides are liquefying slowly. Hence, the blood."

Caroline rubbed his back and pushed back his hair, noting the sweaty sheen on his face. "I'll call Bonnie," she said, unsure of what else she could do. "She might have an idea on how to fix this."

"I already called Damon," Stefan said, gulping down fresh air. "Bonnie said the spell will work itself out by the end of the day. I ran into Matt on my way to," Stefan paused, not wanting to admit he had been heading to the Forbes house. "On my way to town," he finished, "he offered me a room here."

Ignoring the hurt she felt at being the last to know, Caroline quickly grabbed a fresh washcloth to run under cool water. If playing nurse was the only help she could offer, then that was what she would do. Over the next couple of hours, she could tell Stefan was feeling better as he was finally able to drink blood and stop coughing from his seat on the bed. "Are you okay," she asked, packing up the towels and blood clothes to wash.

"I think so," Stefan answered, looking at her with that annoyingly warm expression. "Thanks for coming over."

"You're welcome," she said softly, trying to fight down her negative thoughts.

Stefan could see the tension in her posture, though, as well as her refusal to meet his gaze. "What's wrong, Caroline?"

She glanced up at him, teeth tugging at her lip in indecision. Sighing in resignation, she asked, "Why didn't you call me?"

While Stefan was looking for the right words to explain, Caroline cut in. "You called Damon and talked to Bonnie, but I had to find out from Matt that you were hurt," she said sadly. "You know I would have helped you, dropped everything and come to you. But you chose to hide here, and I can't help but think that it's my fault you're hiding from me."

Stefan reached for her hands, throwing the pile of cloth onto the floor. "I'm not hiding from you," he insisted. "I'm just trying to give you the space you asked me for, and calling you every time I need you wouldn't do you justice. A big part of that is because I always need you, and that wouldn't be fair."

"What's not fair," Caroline replied, "is me not knowing you're really hurt because you don't feel like you can call me. That's not what I wanted to happen when you said you'd wait."

"Then what do you want to happen," Stefan asked, softly stroking her hands. "Let's set some guidelines for how this should work."

"Guidelines," Caroline asked, perking up. "Like rules?"

With a goofy grin, Stefan nodded. "Rules for waiting," he proposed. "Until Stefan and Caroline can get their shit together and figure out how to move on, they hereby agree to these rules during the waiting period."

Caroline giggled, finally smiling. "Okay, we each state different rules, but we can negotiate terms and exercise veto power. Deal?"

"Deal," Stefan affirmed. "Ladies first."

Rolling her eyes, Caroline sat next to him on the bed. "If we're hurt or sad, we have to be the ones to tell each other. No third parties unless it's a complete emergency," she said, still smarting that she heard about this latest episode from Matt.

"Agreed. We should have daily check-ins. If, for some reason, we don't want to see each other, a phone call will suffice."

"With the words 'I don't want to see you right now' and an explanation if available," Caroline added, remembering how Stefan dodged her calls, then she dodged his, earlier in the year. When Stefan nodded, she continued, "We need to keep our options open. If there's another romantic opportunity we're interested in, we should feel available to act on it."

Stefan stared at her, not liking this rule. "Can I ask why you think this would be necessary," he asked, a touch of fear in his voice. He didn't want to accept the possibility he had already lost her.

Embarrassed, Caroline stared at her knees. "I don't want you to feel trapped," she answered, trying to keep her voice smooth. "I don't know how long it will be until I'm ready, and I don't want you to keep waiting out of some weird sense of loyalty to our relationship."

"It's not a weird sense of loyalty," Stefan said, relaxing enough to laugh. "I know what I'm signing up for, Caroline."

"You say that now," Caroline retorted, "but weeks might turn to months, maybe even years. I don't want your pity."

Stefan squeezed her hands, forcing her to look up at him. "It's not pity, Caroline," he promised. "But if it will make you feel better, I'll agree to the rule."

Smiling at the honesty in his eyes, Caroline sighed. "Okay. Your turn."

* * *

Setting new rules had become a sort of game for them, a way to pass the time until Caroline was ready for more. 

* * *

Sometimes, it would be a light-hearted moment meant for smiles and laughter.

"I don't think you can mandate hand-holding, Stefan."

"I can if you agree to it, right?"

* * *

Other times, they angrily used the rules against each other.

"Caroline, what happened to 'taking each other's opinions into consideration,' especially in completely preventable, and lethal, circumstances?"

"I did take your opinion into consideration, but I also had to do what was right. I considered the options, and I went with the one I needed to do."

"You didn't need to sneak into the boarding house!"

"Bonnie needed some of the books, and Damon offered to keep the Heretics occupied long enough to give me an opportunity. I had Enzo with me in case things went south, so I don't know why you're so upset."

"Because you completely ignored my wishes to do something that could have gotten you killed."

"And I'm alive, Bonnie has her books, the Heretics are none the wiser. I took a risk, and I won, Stefan. I won't apologize for that, especially since I didn't actually break a rule."

* * *

In rare times, the rules were a comfort.

"I really want to kiss you," Stefan whispered as he lay in bed with Caroline, her earlier nightmares providing the domestic scene upon waking.

"Rule 7," she sleepily whispered back. "Kisses are only allowed when one set of lips is involved in the previously approved regions."

Smiling, Stefan craned his neck to plant a kiss at her temple. "Alright," he said, lightly stroking her back. "Just know that the rules are the only thing keeping me from kissing you right now."

The shy grin Caroline couldn't hide in her pillow was all Stefan needed in that moment, anyway. 

* * *

"What's the rule for this," Stefan asked, eyes wide as Caroline leaned back from their kiss. He had just been wishing her goodnight on her porch, when she interrupted him with her lips on his.

"Rule 4, either party may terminate the rules when they're tired of waiting," Caroline answered, internally cheering at the flummoxed expression on Stefan's face. "Sorry, did you want to keep waiting?"

Her giggle turned to a shriek when Stefan lifted her over his shoulder to carry her into the house.

 

 


End file.
